The Morning Fix: Lions Gate says no thanks to Icahn! FCC wants to crack down on retransmission fights. Yes, another shakeup at OWN. Cruise’s comeback plan.
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After the coffee. Before griping that Lilly got robbed on ‘American Idol’ last night.
Thanks, but no thanks. Lions Gate Entertainment said Friday morning it was rejecting investor Carl Icahn’s offer to boost his stake in the company to almost 30%. The company said Icahn’s offer of $6 per-share was ‘inadequate.’ Icahn wants a bigger say in Lions Gate and has expressed concern about management and spending habits at the company. More from the Associated Press.
Cable’s grand plan. Business Week provides a thorough look at ‘TV Everywhere,’ the cable industry’s effort to control online viewing of television content. Led by programmers including Time Warner and cable operators such as Comcast, the idea is that only consumers who subscribe to cable can access such content online through a verification system. The idea is meeting resistance from some activists and lawmakers who feel that content should be available to people online who don’t have cable. That doesn’t mean it should be free online, but that it should be for sale online to individuals without a prerequisite.
Is there a toy that goes with it? It’s the Wall Street Journal‘s turn to weigh in on Disney’s new approach to movies. It’s all about brands and franchises. Does that mean Miley Cyrus will be in the next ‘Alice in Wonderland’ story? As in other such pieces, access to the new Disney Studios chief appears to have been tightly managed, with Rich Ross responding to questions via e-mail.
New programming team at OWN ... again. In what seems to be a monthly exercise, OWN, the cable network being launched by Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, has restructured its programming ranks under Chief Executive Christina Norman, according to the Wrap, which broke the news. In a nutshell, three new unscripted executives are being brought in (why do I sense another TLC in the making?) while Jamila Hunter, who had been named programming chief last year, is moving to a different role. We’ll leave it up to you to interpret what that means.
Summer preview. The Hollywood Reporter provides a sneak peek at the summer box office. Look for me to be first in line for that ‘Sex and the City’ sequel. What, you don’t believe me?
Cameron on 3-D mania. ‘Avatar’ director Jim Cameron sits with USA Today to discuss 3-D and what it means for the movie industry plans for a 3-D version of ‘Titanic’ in a couple of years. However, Cameron doesn’t think everything ever made should be converted to 3-D. ‘If you use some automated process or some cost-effective process for that type of programming, it’s going to look like crap,’ he said.
Sometimes, ya gotta say, ‘what the ..’ Recently, 20th Century Fox moved the release date of Tom Cruise’s ‘Knight and Day’ from early July to late June. Why? So it wouldn’t open opposite a ‘Twilight’ movie and get pounded. Smart! After a tough few years, Cruise wants back on top and the Daily Beast’s Kim Masters looks at how Camp Cruise is trying to restore the star’s luster.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: The FCC says it may be time to come up with some new rules for negotiations between broadcasters and cable companies. Producer John Wells is worried about an NBC - Comcast combination. Robert Lloyd on HBO’s ‘The Pacific.’
-- Joe Flint
